A strange coldness ran down Daniel’s spine.
The moment Zalkareth mentioned "the people who were hired to assassinate or kidnap the crown prince," his mind lit up like a flash of lightning. The crown prince’s indifferent expression, his calculated silence, the fact that he didn’t ask a single question... everything felt too natural.
His face was completely emotionless, as if he was talking about something trivial.
And right then, the truth stabbed into his mind like an icy blade, and he finally understood everything.
"The crown prince himself... gave the order."
His heart hit once, hard.
So the mission he and Kayn had been hired for... was a trap from the beginning? The goal wasn’t kidnapping the Demon King’s children... but eliminating them, or creating an excuse?
But why? For what reason would the crown prince take such a crazy gamble? Removing rivals? Creating chaos? A reason to start a full-scale war with humans?
He had guessed before that there might be something sinister behind this mission, but he never imagined the demons themselves were behind it, let alone the crown prince of the demons.
For the first time, he genuinely felt impressed. He had suspected that maybe the Corruption Worshipers were behind it, trying to start a war between the two races.
But he was wrong. And the question now was, why? Why would the crown prince do something like this? He glanced at Zalkareth. Daniel felt there was a high chance this plan had been suggested by him.
Considering the other children of the Demon King didn’t react, it was obvious they also knew about it.
Daniel quietly waited. Maybe the crown prince would say something. Maybe Zalkareth would continue and he could understand what their real goal was.
But nothing, no extra explanation, no further reaction. The crown prince had clearly asked just to hear the result, not the process.
Daniel’s heart sank. With this plan, the crown prince could create a "legitimate excuse" to pressure the humans, start a bigger military operation, or even seize the border regions, without anyone being able to protest.
And in the middle of all this... a few disposable pieces? Daniel now assumed that the Wanderers probably didn’t know this mission was a demon-made scheme, and the demons likely submitted the mission through their own agents and spies.
If that was true, the Wanderers were also in serious danger.
Kayn’s mission was to kidnap the children of the Demon King, but only in name. If they had tried to actually complete it without knowing the truth, they would have been crushed by the demons’ prepared ambush.
At that point, the demons could simply claim they came to assassinate, and use that as justification to pressure humanity. And humans, to avoid a full war, would be forced to hand over the "culprits."
Meaning the entire Wanderer organization would be wiped out, and even then, humans would still be forced to pay a massive compensation.
He looked at the crown prince and Zalkareth with a completely different view now. This plan was terrifying.
In the end, everyone was just a sacrifice in a much bigger game.
Hours passed inside that hall. Reports were presented one after another. Plans were reviewed. The movement paths of the troops, details of the exchange, security measures...
Most of the talking was done by Zalkareth.
Until finally, the crown prince ended the meeting with a short sentence.
Everyone except Zalkareth was dismissed.
Daniel left the castle, but his mind was no longer there.
Everything was a mess. He only had two days, two days to find the location of the Pagoda.
The best and most direct way was obviously asking Zalkareth.
But after seeing that demon’s analytical skill and cunning... doing that was nothing but suicide.
So he had only one option left:
Either find the answer himself within these two days...
Or take it by force when they returned from the exchange with Wargon.
But before that, a few things had to be confirmed. Daniel closed his eyes.
When he opened them again... he had returned to his real body.
The cold walls of the cell, the chains, the smell of moisture, Kayn and Melia were both leaning against the wall, eyes closed, apparently resting.
He kept a small part of his consciousness inside Orsuis’ body to keep it under control.
Then he looked at Kayn.
"Kayn."
Kayn opened his eyes, still tired.
"You finally came back? Where were you?"
"I was controlling that demon’s body. No time to explain," Daniel said without any buildup.
"I figured out who ordered our recruitment." Then he continued directly through mental communication:
"...What do you mean? Who?" Kayn asked after a pause.
"The crown prince of the demons." The voice hit his mind heavy and solid.
Kayn froze. Shock washed over his face. His eyes widened. It took him a moment to even breathe.
"...That’s impossible. You’re joking, right?"
"I thought the same at first. But everything fits together..." Daniel replied.
"He even knows two people are on their way to assassinate or capture them... he just doesn’t know it’s us." Then he added quietly and shared a short summary of everything he had learned.
Kayn fell silent.
"We were pieces from the beginning." He felt anger, but eventually sighed.
"So... what do we do now?" he asked after a few seconds
He decided to completely abandon this mission. There was no difference between this mission and insanity or suicide, and he had to warn the organization about it as soon as possible.
"Obviously, we leave this place," Daniel said without hesitation.
"But not yet. There are still a few very important things left." Then he continued seriously:
"I know you’re awake." His gaze slowly shifted and stopped on Melia.
Melia’s body trembled slightly.
"The demons decided to execute your lady. They already got what they wanted. They don’t need her anymore," Daniel said.
Melia suddenly opened her eyes in panic.
The color drained from her face. It was like her entire world collapsed in that moment.